Lamp and number holder.



H. P. PROVANDIE. LAMP AND NUMBER HOLDER. nrmunmn rum) Jun 1010.

Patented June 27, 1911.

[raven/Z07 pi'ova die ,jigys.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT F. PROVANDIE, 0F MELROSE,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE RANDALL-FAICHNEY GOMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHU- SETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

LAMP AND NUMBER HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT F. PRO- VANDIE, of Melrose, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lamp and Number Holders, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a holding device capable of attachment toa motor vehicle and having means for carrying the rear number plate and the tail light ordinarily required to be applied to motor vehicles in such a manner that the rays of the tail light are caused to fall full upon the number plate, and that a colored light ordinarily red is displayed at the rear.

In carryin my invention into effect I have provide a holder including a portion formed to carry and inclose a lamp, which may be termed a hood portion, and clamping means permanently connected to said hood portion and adjustable so as to embrace and clasp the edges of a number plate of any size. The relation of the hood and clamping means is such that the beams of light from the lamp are caused to fall directly on the face of the number plate, and furthermore the inner surfaces of the walls of the hood are given light-reflecting qualities and so arranged that the beams from the lamp falling thereon are reflected upon the plate.

The holder in its entirety constitutes a unit which may be easily applied to and detached from the tonneau or any other part at the rear of the automobile. It is so made that when detached and the number plate removed it may be folded up in small compass, while the means for attaching it to the vehicle are dis osed in such a manner as to retain the folding portions rigid. In addition the means for attaching the lamp to the holder are so made that the lam may be readily removed and when replaced is firmly held. Such lamp-securin means also, in the construction adapted or electric lamps, is rain-proof to avoid danger of short-circuiting the lamp.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention for the purpose of showing the essential principles of the invention. I desire it to be understood, however, that this is not the only possible embodiment of the invention, but that many other forms of construction and relative arrangements of parts within the scope of the invention may be employed, and that therefore I do not limit myself to the construction shown in these drawings and described in detail in the following specification, but claim the ri ht to the exclusive use of all other forms 0 combination lamp and number plateholder in which the principles of the invention as hereinafter defined in the claims are presented.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a rear elevation of the device. Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are perspective views of the several members of the holder by which the number plate is clamped. Fig. 6 is a crosssectional view of the holder on line 66 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 1, showing a detail of construction. Fi ,8 is a sectional view on line 88 of Flg. 6. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the dome portion of the hood in which the lamp is secured.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

The embodiment of the invention herein illust-rated is designed to hold an electric amp and to suspend a number plate centrally below and somewhat in front of the lamp. With this end in view the part of the holder which contains the lamp 1s made as a hood, 1, having a front wall 2, a rear wall 3 and a top 4, said top or upper wall being made to slope oppositely from the central portion to the ends of the hood. To the center of the top 4: is secured a sleeve or dome 5, which registers with a hole 6 in the to An electric light socket 7 is suspende from a cap 8 which is detachably placed on the upper end of the dome and projects toward or through the hole 6 so that an electric lamp 9 may be set therein and be held centrally within the hood. In the rear wall 3 of the hood is an opening 10 directly back of the lamp, such hole bein surrounded by a flaring socket 11 to whic is attached a glass lens or jewel 12, through which the rearwardly directed rays of t e lamp pass.

The means for fastenin the number plate to the holder consists of ars 13 which are sus ended from the rear wall of the hood an have clips on their ends for supporting the lower edge of the plate while they carry means for engaging the upper and side edges or ends of the plate. The clips 14 on the bars 13 are preferably formed by bending up the lower ends of the bars, although they may be of any other form and connected in any other way to the bars. The clips for engaging the top and sides of the late are represented at 15, 16 and 17 respectively and are fastened to the suspended bars 13 by bolts 18 having clamp nuts 19, such bolts assing through slots 20 in the suspended ars. All of the fastening members are conveniently made of strips of metal of appropriate length having longitudinally extended slots through which the clamping bolts 18 pass. The clips 15 are short lengths of such stock having their ends 21 bent over and having slots 22, while the side clamping bars have clips 23 and 24 at their ends respectively and are formed with slots 25 and 26 respectively. Both of the side clampin bars pass across the suspended bars an their inner portions overlap. For this reason they are provided with two slots for receiving the clamping bolts of the two suspended bars. A suflicient range of adjustment of the horizontal clamping bars and the clips 15 is provided to enable any of the variously proportioned plates required in different jurisdictions to be secured.

The suspended bars 13 are hung from the hood portion of the holder by rivets 27 on which they have a pivotal motion so that they may be folded toward the hood portion for acking away in a small space. When applied to the vehicle, however, they' are prevented from swinging by the fastening means which secures the holder to the vehicle. For this purpose the suspended bars are perforated at their upper ends with holes 28 which, when they hang perpendicularl register with holes in the front plate 2 o the hood to which the fastening bolts or screws 29 for securing the holder to the car are passed.

When the number plate, which is shown by dotted lines in the drawings, is secured between the clips of the clamping bars, it hangs from the front wall of the hood below and in front of the lamp, so that the rays of light from the latter are directed thereon. The inner surfaces of the hood also are made with provision for reflecting light, being, if desired, coated with white paint or enamel, so that such rays of the lamp as do not fall directly on the plate, are reflected from the inner walls of the hood and thus give additional illumination.

In the articular embodiment of the holder herein illustrated, which is adapted for carrying an electric lamp, the sleeve or dome 5 is so made that the cap 8 carryin the lamp socket may be readily removed an also so that when once in place the cap is so securely held as to be incapable of accidental flislodgment. To this end the upper rim of the dome as shown in Fig. 9 is cut to form tongues 31, the extreme ends of which are slightly bent outward in such a way that when the cap is slipped on the tongues are sprung inward, thereby they are caused to exert a spring pressure against the rim of the cap. In one side of the dome is out a notch 32 through which the wire 33 for supplying current to the lamp is passed. This notch is partly covered by the lip or rim of the cap 8, whereby rain is excluded and the lamp socket eflectually guarded against short circuiting by water entering from this cause. I consider that by this construction I have overcome one of the bad features which is found in lamps as hitherto used.

The parts of the holder may be made in any desired manner and from any suitable material. I consider, however, that it is preferable to make the body of the hood from a single sheet of ductile metal such as brass, which can be distorted sufficiently by means of dies to enable the front and back walls and the top to be formed from a single blank. The dome 5 and lens-holder 11 may be made of separate pieces and secured by soldering or otherwise to the hood.

Although ,I have shown the plate-clamping means as being suspended vertically beneath the hood portion of the holder, I desire to state that I do not limit myself to this particular arrangement of these parts, as it is within the contemplation of my invention to arrange the plate-holding means beside the lamp-holding part of the device and I consider that any contrivance which includes both a lamp-holder and a lateholder so arranged that the entire evioe may be applied to and removed from a motor car as a unit and so that the light from the lamp may be directed upon the face of the plate, is within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim,-

1. A tail lamp and number-holder for motor vehicles, comprising a hood provided with means for securing a lamp and open at its under side to permit emission of the light rays from the lamp, supports for a number plate pivoted to said hood and depending therefrom, said supports having their ends bent up to engage the lower end of the plate, and having longitudinal slots between their ends, clips for engaging the upper edge of the plate consisting of short strips having their up er ends doubled over, and being perforate between their ends, clips for engaging the end edges of the plate consisting of strips having their outer ends doubled over and being longitudinally slotted, arranged to overlap each other at their inner ends and to cross the supports and to clips and clamps passing through slots 0 the supports, the end clips and the top clips, and adapted to secure said clips and supports rigidly together in an adjustable manner, whereby the four edges of the plate may be gras ed and the clips may be adjusted to hold p ates of any size.

2. A holder for the purpose described, comprising a lamp-containing hood and reflector, supports permanently pivoted thereto and having clips to engage the opposite edges of a plate, and clamp bars for gripping the intermediate edges of the plate so cured to said supports and adjustable oppositely inward or outward to fit plates of various lengths, said supports being movable about their pivots and having perforations ada ted to register with perforations on said hood through which fastenings are assed to secure the. holder on a motor ve iicle, whereby the sup orts are maintained in a definite and fixe relation to the holder.

3. In a holder of the character described, a hood having a topand sides, a dome or sleeve projecting from the top of said hood and open into the interior, a cap removably applied upon said dome, an electric lamp socket attached to said cap and projecting through the dome toward the interior of the hood, and clamping means constructed with provlsions for grasping the edges of a numsleeve prgjecting from the top of said hood and open into the interior, a cap removably applied upon said dome, an electric lamp socket attached to said cap and projecting through the dome toward the interior of the hood, the dome having a notch in its side for the reception of an electric conductor, and the cap having a flange partly covering said notch, whereby to exclude rain and prevent short-circuiting of the lamp, and means for gripping a number plate secured to the hood.

5. In a holder of the character described, a hood having a top and sides, a flat front wall adapted to be secured to the back of a motor vehicle, a dome or sleeve projecting from the top of said hood and open into the interior, a cap removably applied upon said dome having a flange surrounding the rim of the dome and an electric lamp socket attached to said cap and projectmg through the dome toward the interior of the hood, the rim of the dome being cut to form spring tongues which are bent outward at their ends and bear on the interior of said flange to form a frictional lock for the cap, and means for gripping a number plate secured to and depending from the front wall of the dome.

In testimonx whereof I have afiixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

HERBERT F. PROVANDIE.

ber plate secured to said hood. \Vitnesses:

4. In a holder of the character described, H. L. ALLEN, a hood having a top and sides, a dome 'or P. W. PEzzETI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G." 

